State of Maine Archives: on Tax Reform

Mary Mayhew:
Cut tax burden for employers

Mayhew stated that her goal would be to revitalize Maine's economy, by downscaling government, welfare programs and taxes. "We need two things: we need to reduce taxes and promote employment as the pathway out of poverty.
Employers need a workforce that's ready to work, and they can succeed in Maine if we don't have a tax burden that is making it difficult for them to be prosperous," she said.

Source: Journal Tribune on 2018 Maine Gubernatorial race
Aug 9, 2017

Eric Brakey:
Voted against raising the lodging tax to 10.5%

Early this afternoon, the Senate accepted the first reading of the current budget proposal "under the hammer" without a roll call vote. By law as an emergency measure, it will have a roll call vote on final enactment.
I voted against the last budget proposal because it increases the lodging tax to 10.5%, giving Maine the highest lodging tax of any state in our region.

Source: Twitter posting on 2018 Maine gubernatorial race
Jul 3, 2017

Bruce Poliquin:
Reduce taxes to create jobs

Grow Maine's Economy and Create Jobs: ACTION ITEMS:

Eliminate unnecessary job-killing regulations

Lower heating oil, gasoline, electricity costs

End ObamaCare

Stop wasteful overspending

Start paying off
$17 trillion national debt

Reduce taxes

Recruit new businesses to Maine

Having spent 35 years growing businesses and creating jobs, I understand what must be done to expand our economy and increase employment here in Maine.
For far too long, we have sent career politicians to Washington with little or no experience running a company and creating jobs.
They bicker to score political points while our serious problems grow worse. The economy struggles to recover and our families suffer. We need a new approach.

Eliot Cutler:
Shift burden from property tax as part of strategic reform

Q: Will you support a 1% income tax increase on high income Maine residents making over $500,000 as a way to fund crucial public services and stave off painful budget cuts?

A: My priority is increasing net incomes across the board for all Maine people.
We can do this by broad reforms in our tax structure (including reducing the burden of property taxes), by reforming health care, by investing in a serious and sustained way in education, our competitive advantages and our infrastructure, and by
developing an umbrella Maine brand that can be an enduring economic driver even in challenging economic times. Picking out one element of tax reform as a symbolic exercise is no substitute for a vision, a plan and a strategy. A focused and strategic
effort to leverage Maine's competitive advantages will generate jobs and increase incomes, and the members of Maine's unions ought to support a candidate for governor who has the experience, skills and independence to lead the way in that effort

Cynthia Dill:
Require the wealthy to pay their fair share

Benjamin Pollard said he supports means testing for Social Security benefits. And, he said, "We need to have limits on Medicare spending, especially on the end-of-life care."

State Sen. Cynthia Dill defended the social programs.
Dill called for fair tax policies that require the wealthy to pay their fair share, and cuts in military spending such as for weapons systems. "When it comes to Medicaid and Medicare, those are programs that need to be strengthened," she said.